


Those Left Behind

by Aeruthin



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27634102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeruthin/pseuds/Aeruthin
Summary: Klaus Mikaelson has sacrificed himself for his daughter, saving the life of the one person he held most dear.That doesn't make it easy for those who are left behind.
Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson & Hope Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson & Rebekah Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson/Klaus Mikaelson (implied), Hayley Marshall & Hope Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall/Elijah Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	Those Left Behind

Hope's hands are trembling slightly when she places the wild roses in front of the unmarked gravestone. It is located in a secluded field deep in the bayou near New Orleans, far from prying eyes, and the wilderness stretches out around her. 

It is fitting, she always thought. From what she remembered, her Dad was nothing if not wild.

A gentle breeze weaves through the leaves, and for a moment, she believes that he is there, watching over her. Her throat tightens, and tears well up in her eyes. 

"Come here," Hayley whispers. Her mother's arm circles around her waist, and a larger hand rests on her back, moving in soft, comforting circles. 

"I miss him," she whispers, staring at the stone.

"Me too," her Uncle Elijah says softly.

Hayley presses a kiss against her head.

"He would be really proud of you," she says.

Hope chuckles through her tears. "I know, Mom, you tell me all the time."

She takes a deep breath and pulls away from her mother and uncle. Quietly, she places a kiss against her index and middle finger before presses them against the stone.

"I love you, Dad," she says, hoping he can hear her. 

Sometimes, when she is lying in bed and can't sleep, she imagines a family where she lives together with her Mom and Dad and maybe a dog, in a normal house in a normal street. Her mother wouldn't look like she is in her twenties, and her adoptive brother would be two years older, instead of two centuries. 

But no matter how jealous she gets of her classmates once in a while, she would not wish for her family to be different. 

She just wished that her Dad was there with them.

"I'm ready," she says, turning away from the grave. Her mother nods.

"Elijah?" she asks.

Elijah gives them a sad smile.

"I'll be right there," he says, his voice slightly rough.

Hope interlinks her arm with her mother's, and together they walk back towards the car. The trees rustle above her head, and Hope smiles. She will live her life to the fullest, and not waste the sacrifice her father made for her.

And that meant...

"Can we get some ice-cream?"

Her Mom grins.

"Only this time."

* * *

"She is a wonderful woman, Niklaus," Elijah whispers to the grave when Hope's and Hayley's footsteps have disappeared in the woods.

He kneels down and presses his hand on the stone where Hope had placed her fingers before. 

The grief lacing through him is familiar, etched deep into his soul. If Hope, Hayley and Rebekah had not been there, he is not sure if he would have survived his brother's passing.

The months after the sacrifice are still a blur. It had taken a long time before he could move and think beyond the darkness that had swallowed him whole. 

Still, once in a while, something would remind him of Niklaus. A song, a painting, or even a color, and he would be unable to breathe, the memories threatening to overwhelm him. Luckily, Hayley had become used to the signs, and pulled him back to the present with soft touches and calm words.

"Rebekah sends her love," he continues. "She misses you too."

Rebekah had been similar, screaming and howling at the world. Later, Freya had told him that Rebekah had searched frantically for a way to bring their brother back, just like she had for Kol. But mostly, Elijah and Rebekah had lain curled up together in either one of their rooms in the compound, taking comfort in the only one who could truly understand their loss. 

Marcel had done for Rebekah what Hayley had done for him, and she had recovered, slowly but surely. 

They had placed Niklaus' grave where no enemy or worshipper could find him. Freya had located it, and the funeral had been small. Elijah barely remembers it, but he is immensely grateful of their oldest sister. It is a beautiful place.

Elijah stands. The trees move above his head, and if he pretends, he thinks he can hear him, annoyed but fondly. You sentimental fool.

"Until next time, Brother," Elijah whispers with a small smile. 

He turns his back to follow his niece and her mother, two sparks of life and brightness in his life. He does not deserve them, but he will hold on to them and love them until his last breath.

"Until next time."


End file.
